Modello Park To Change Name

DANIA BEACH — Each time commissioners change the name of a street or a public facility after someone, the city loses a piece of its history and identity.

Commissioners Bob Mikes and John Etling expressed this concern Tuesday before the City Commission voted on an ordinance to change the name of Modello Park to Charlie Will Thomas Community Park.

Mikes and Etling said they did not mind naming a building within the park, 800 NW Second St., after the late Charlie Will Thomas, a former public works employee who was a role model for children and families in the city's northwest section.

But former mayor Bobbie H. Grace, who pushed for the name change, would not settle for less. She said Thomas meant too much to children and families in the northwest area.

Mikes and Etling wanted to keep the Modello name because that was the community's name before it became a city in 1904.

Mikes added that the name Modello is tied to the late Henry Flagler's Model Land Co., which first started developing the area, which is Broward County's oldest municipality.

Not everyone, however, shared Mikes' and Etling's concerns.

The three other elected officials voted in favor of the name change.

"Modello means nothing. It was a business name," Commissioner Jim Cali said. "The community's members convinced me that Charlie Will was a good man. He did a lot to improve the welfare of children for 20 years. Let's make the park stand for someone who's done a great deal for the community."

Grace, who would like to see an official dedication marking the change, is working with City Manager Michael Smith to determine a date.

The ordinance changing the park's name received preliminary approval two weeks ago by a 3-1 vote. Cali was absent.

Mikes said he supported it initially because the northwest community backed the name change. Mikes said he changed his vote on Tuesday because he thinks Grace is using Thomas' good name to satisfy her political interest.

Grace countered that her effort is not politically motivated because most northwest residents want the park's name changed to honor Thomas.

Thomas Monnay can be reached at tmonnay@sun-sentinel.com or 954-385-7924.